Stay Healdsburg—the hospitality arm of the Chamber of Commerce, funded by a benefit assessment district to promote travel to Healdsburg—announced this month more than $70,000 in sponsorships to 11 local organizations. Among the big winners are familiar recipients such as Healdsburg Jazz, The 222 programs and winery tasting events to be held next spring.
The semiannual sponsorship program is derived from the local hospitality industry’s annual bed tax receipts. The contributions fund arts, and cultural and educational activities, consequently improving tourism and promoting room stays among the 32 member lodging properties within city limits.
The variety of the programs, ranging from “wine road” tasting events to theater presentations, Plaza events like a Turkey Trot and Merry Healdsburg, and a river-centric art project, also aim to enhance the residents’ overall quality of life.
The awards are funded by the lodging partners of the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District, or HTID. Out of an annual HTID budget of over $1 million, with most revenue derived from a 2% tacked onto the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax, 15% is allocated for District Development grants.
Previous Largesse
Last year, in 2023, that resulted in more than $285,000 awarded to 23 recipients. This fall’s $7,500 in grants to 11 recipients is the first installment on the 2024-25 awards schedule.
“The latest round of sponsorships marks another amazing milestone for Healdsburg that will elevate the experiences the destination offers to our beloved locals and guests,” said the Chamber’s CEO, Tallia Hart. “We’re proud to support the unique Wine Country initiatives that make Healdsburg truly special.”
Although the priority of “heads in beds,” or programs that generate revenue for the HTID through hotel bookings, is still in the mix for Stay Healdsburg’s grants, its director of tourism and marketing, Jessica Bohon, said that’s far from the only criteria.
“The applications for sponsorships are reviewed by a committee of one Chamber Board Member, one City Council Member, one resident and one local business owner,” she wrote the Tribune.
“Stay Healdsburg, the tourism improvement district for Healdsburg, comprises 32 luxury hotels, motels, modern lofts and suites, cozy bed & breakfasts and rustic inns within the city limits,” according to the press release announcing these awards.
Leading the Pack
This fall, the largest single awards of $12,500 were made to two separate events, the 2025 Passport to Dry Creek Valley, scheduled for next April; and several concerts referred to as the Healdsburg Jazz Winter Festival, from Jan. 30-Feb. 2 next year.
Those numbers were an increase from the organizations’ awards last year, of $10,000 for the Passport event, and $5,000 for Healdsburg Jazz. “We are thrilled to be planning this first-ever event and we appreciate the support—it is so key,” said Gayle Okumura Sullivan, executive director of Healdsburg Jazz. “We plan to announce the lineup next month.”
Runner-up in the fall’s cycle was an award of $10,000 each to three Wine Road winter events including the Wine & Food Affair in November, Winter Wineland in January 2025 and Barrel Weekend in March.
Another $10,000 was awarded to The 222 performing arts organization, at the Paul Mahder Gallery. That award goes to theater productions in February and March of next year, as well as two jazz events, to be held in November and December 2024.
“Healdsburg has welcomed our efforts to share exhilarating performance experiences and in this our fourth season we are thankful to be recognized,” said Jonathan Wind, marketing director of The 222.
Other awards include: an ongoing Conversations Worth Having series at Barndiva ($3,000); the Nov. 28 Healdsburg Turkey Trot fun run ($5,000); a dinner series called T.O.W.N (for Traveling Off-season for Wine Night), to be held in November, January and March; another wine festival, this one the Anderson Valley White Wine Festival on Feb. 15 and 16, 2025 ($2,000); and a similar amount for the Raven Theater winter-spring season ($2,500).
“We were very happy to get back on the radar of HTID, and the funds are extremely helpful for producing programming that our community and the tourists will enjoy,” said Tom Brand, executive director of the Raven Performing Arts Theater, which had been denied in their applications for awards for the past four cycles.
The city’s 2024 Merry Healdsburg party in the Plaza is on the list with a $7,000 award. And HHS art teacher Linus Lancaster and audio artist Hugh Livingston receive $1,000 in support of their ongoing “Your River, Downtown” project currently underway.
Sponsorship program applications open twice a year in the spring and fall, and priority is given to destination events, which generate business midweek and off-season. Sponsorship applications for Spring/Summer 2025 will open in March and will be available at stayhealdsburg.com.
